1.. Field of the Invention
Generally, the present invention relates to the connected devices in a network. More specifically, the present invention relates to the transfer of data between and among the devices and servers on the network.
2.. Description of the Related Art
There are many devices capable of connecting to a data network, be it wired or wireless. These devices can be as sophisticated as a supercomputer or satellite, or as simple as a household appliance, such as a refrigerator with a microcontroller installed. Other such devices can include digital cameras (video & still), cell phones, MP3 players, PDAs, notebook computers and even wrist watches. These network capable devices are gaining enormous popularity. While these devices offer tremendous networking flexibility and possibility in their respective usage, a severe restriction in them, because of their small size, is their storage capacity.
For example, as the amount of data in one digital photo increases, the number of digital images capable of being stored on a particular internal storage media decreases. Thus, it is necessary for the digital camera enthusiast to frequently download the locally-stored digital images to external storage media. Similarly, in an MP3 player, there is finite internal memory for a listener to store digital music files. Thus, as the internal memory becomes full, the listener must offload unwanted music files to make storage room for uploading additional music files. Also, camera cell phones of today have limited resolution and very limited storage capacity.
The typical device, such as a PDA, that requires regular data transferences can perform these data up/down loads in several ways. The internal memory of the device, such as a removable memory card, can be removed and inserted into the network into which the data are destined. Alternatively, the device can be directly connected into the network, either via a wired connection or a wireless connection. This alternative, or direct connection, typically requires extensive and complex setup and configuration.
Therefore, what is needed is a system and method for connecting devices to a network for data transference that allows for device auto-configuration, data transfer and network management with little or no user interaction.